Hearing aids for otitis media with effusion in children: practicality and cost

• OME is very common in children and treatment is usually surgical, with VTs • Waiting times for VTs are very long in some hospitals • Hearing aids are suggested in NICE guidance as a reasonable management option for hearing loss in children with otitis media with effusion, although published evidence supporting their use is very limited • When offered HAs as a management option while on the waiting list for VT surgery, 74/79 (94%) families were amenable to trying them, and in 70 (95%) the hearing aids were worn successfully • The cost of the aid, particularly if BC aids were used, and the cost of frequent audiology visits for monitoring, suggest that HAs may be more expensive overall than a traditional surgical strategy. This should be investigated in future studies with more formal economic analysis